1877: The problems facing America - Essay Example

When Rutherford B. Hayes was elected president of the United States in 1877, America was just coming out of one of the most turbulent periods ever to face any country. The US had been devastated by the years of civil war and the lingering economic depression…

Extract of sample"1877: The problems facing America"

Download file to see previous pages
When Rutherford B. Hayes was elected president of the United States in 1877, America was just coming out of one of the most turbulent periods ever to face any country. The US had been devastated by the years of civil war and the lingering economic depression.Mistrust in an ineffectual government had left the public weary of corruption and factions in the South remained in an antebellum attitude. The progress that blacks had made with the constitutional amendments of the previous 15 years had been nullified as southern states refused to enforce the freedoms granted to the newly freed slaves. As reconstruction ended and America moved forward, it was faced with the problems of restoring the Presidency, enforcing the constitution, and confronting the lingering economic depression.People's faith in government and the presidency had been shattered in the years after the civil war. The Union's victory had been shaken by the assassination of President Lincoln. The executive branch under President Johnson was failing to reach any of the goals of a reconstructed south and the freed people of the south had failed to reach either equal citizenship or economic independence. Johnson vetoed the Reconstruction acts, removed cabinet members, hindered the work of the Freedman's bureau, and limited the powers of the military commanders in the South. Radical Republicans in the congress rejected Johnson's position and set about enacting legislation curtailing presidential powers. Johnson continued to confront the congressional mood by attempting to remove the reconstructionist Stanton from the position of Secretary of War. The ensuing conflict resulted in impeachment hearings against Johnson and left the office of the presidency weakened.
With the country rebelling against the policies of Johnson, they ushered in the era of US Grant, a civil war hero. While people admired the man, as an official he was ineffective and suspect. Scandal and misuse of presidential powers rocked his administration. Most of the scandals involved financial corruption such as the Whiskey Ring affair, which cost the public millions of dollars in tax revenues (Henretta, Brody, and Dumenil, 468). With the public tiring of an ineffective and limited presidency, they elected Rutherford B. Hayes in 1876. Hayes, seen as an honest politician, accepted the presidency under the cloud of the compromise of 1877. The office of the presidency had been weakened and left as an office where the best hope was honest capitulation.
The Hayes election had presented the country with another looming problem. The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments that had granted the freedmen their rights as citizens and right to vote had been left meaningless in the South. In his inaugural speech Hayes said, "The permanent pacification of the country upon such principles and by such measures as will secure the complete protection of all its citizens in the free enjoyment of all their constitutional rights is now the one subject in our public affairs which all thoughtful and patriotic citizens regard as of supreme importance" (Hayes). These amendments to the constitution were the centerpiece of the goals of the civil war, yet were languishing in an environment of racism and segregation in the south. The Compromise of 1877 had put an end to any meaningful method of bringing about change in the conditions for blacks. Constitutional guarantees were little more than ideals that would not be brought to any real fruition for another 80 years (Peskin, 63). The southern states were allowed to self govern without the oversight of the union and nullified the amendments and the will of the republican union.
While confronting a weakened presidency faced with the task of enforcing the constitution, the country was also in the midst on an economic depression. The collapse of the Northern Pacific Railroad, and chief investor Jay Cooke, had triggered a severe depression in 1873 (Henretta, Brody,
...Download file to see next pagesRead More

g. Following the undecided 1877 presidential election that gave Republican Rutherford B. Hayes a victorious win was a way of putting an end to Reconstruction and the elimination of federal military support for the enduring biracial Republican governments that had appeared in the previous federation.

Countries tend to have extremely diverse animal and plant life, major water bodies, and ecosystem heterogeneity. All the governments of countries of the Latin American region are serious about increasingly deteriorating conditions of the environment. Therefore, all the governments of this region are together trying to overcome environmental issues.

The major issue arising from this project is that the amount allocated for investment in the purchase of the new equipment is quite and would result in the company’s failure in the case of occurrence of a failure in their projections. Other problems facing the company include loss of the current customers who appreciate the modern equipment.

The revelation about the dirty Rio Grande de Tarcoles made people take note of the environmental challenges facing Costa Rica.
A point of contention most analogical to central and South American countries is the issue of deforestation. Pressure from loggers, ranchers, and large-scale agricultural ventures is destroying the eco-system, driving many species of animals to extinction.

nce teachers are usually expected to take their students through scientific theories then later liaise with qualified technicians and laboratory assistants for the practical sessions. Science teachers do good jobs as interested students find it easy pursuing science oriented

ints of the economic depression are not ended yet, organizations are becoming aware of the fact that they will have to take steps to maintain their staff (Kumar, 2014, p. 98). This could be by means of an enhanced stress on developmental programs or by means of investing in

The best strategy that the government should embrace is educating the citizens on the best nutritional habits to adopt in ensuring they are healthy (Duggan, Watkins, & Walker, 2008). The nutritional habits have been changing with each new day

The basic nature of the people seems to be insular and hence the option for isolationism as a guiding principal. However, the force of circumstance always dragged the nation into the vortex of activity. American foreign policy seems like a pendulum, swinging to and fro between isolation and active involvement.

4 Pages(1000 words)Essay

GOT A TRICKY QUESTION? RECEIVE AN ANSWER FROM STUDENTS LIKE YOU!

TRY US!

sponsored ads

Save Your Time for More Important Things

Let us write or edit the essay on your topic
"1877: The problems facing America"
with a personal 20% discount.